MYP Technology Unit Planner

MYP Year 1

Computer Technology

Quarter : 1 Nr of Weeks: 5

Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question Area of interaction focus

Which area of interaction will be our focus? Why have we chosen this?

ATL & Homo Faber (see box on right for justification)

Significant concept(s)What are the big ideas? What do we want our students to

retain for years into the future?

How do I communicate my understanding? (ATL) 

This unit of work requires the students to identify the power of graphic communication and learn how to manipulate graphics and text in order to achieve a specific goal. 

A clear testing procedure is key to making well backed up, logical arguments determining the overall success of products. (ATL)

What are the consequences? (Homo Faber)

Choices made regarding the creation of graphic content affect how that content is interpreted by different user groups.

MYP unit question

Can I design a Magazine Cover that would appeal to a specific target audience?

AssessmentWhat task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?

What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?

Successful completion of a Technology Design Folder. See Design Cycle Details on next page.

Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?

1. Time Management, students must follow timeline in completing the phases of the project.

11. Present work clearly , carefully, and neatly

15 Keep an organized Design Folder

27 Accept others ideas/feedback

60. Monitor and evaluate own performance accurately

68 Use self and Peer assessment to improve work.

69 Use reflection to evaluated achievement of goals

Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry

ContentWhat knowledge and/or skills (from the course overviews) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the guiding question?

What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to develop the significant concepts for stage 1?

Skills Applied:

• Analysis of graphic content. Evaluation of primary features of Layout, use of text, color, application of language to interest targeted reader.

• Graphic Design Software applications: Paint.net, Macromedia Fireworks 8, Adobe Photoshop CS

• Keywords for skills development: Fill, Stoke, Layers, Gradient, marquee, lasso (polygonal) tool, text tools/effects, transform, render, Jpeg, PNG, contrast, resolution

• Awareness of resolution and document size. Designs are created with a low resolution, Final Product at high resolution (300).

• Application of the design cycle

Approaches to learningHow will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?

• ATL focus on the keeping of a design folder, which serves as the documentation and representation of the unit of work.

DESIGN CYCLE DETAILSInvestigation: Students write design brief. Students analyze good examples of products which were designed for the same target audience as student is designing for. Analysis should pick out details of layout, how the designer used text size and font (and possibly effects), use of color, shapes, and use of language to attract readers. Design Specifications created from the results of the analysis of the examples of professional work. Test created (which will permit the student to get relevant and accurate feedback) regarding how well the student met the requirements of the design specifications and how well the student managed to satisfy the tastes of the target audience.

Design / Plan: Students are to satisfy all of the noted design specifications, making a range of drafts that could be used as a model for their final product.  All designs are to be sized roughly 550 x 780 pixels with a low resolution (72). This further illustrates to the students that there is a distinct difference between the designing process and the creation of the final product. Students are to confirm that each design created matches the specifications that the student had identified earlier. Students must make it clear which design was the chosen one to follow and create, and explain why.

Create Student create the product, following the chosen design. Students are encouraged to document progress with a screenshot or two (when in Beta lab) All students create their final products to the best of their ability. Resolution is set high 300, and the document size is set to A4 for color printing.

Evaluate Students apply the test create in in the Investigation Phase of the design cycle. Students thoroughly evaluate the feedback received to determine to what extent they have: Communicated their understanding of the desires of the target audience (ATL) Predicted the consequences of the impact of their work on the target audience.

Any other final thoughts on the design cycle process including areas for improvement or further development.

In keeping an ongoing record, consider the following questions. There are further stimulus questions in the unit planning section of MYP: From principles into practice. Students and teachers

What did we find compelling? Was our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in any way?

What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose?

How did we reflect—both on the unit and on our own learning?

Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? What opportunities were there for student-initiated action?

Possible connections

How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group and from other subject groups?

What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration with other subjects?

Assessment

Were students able to demonstrate their learning?

How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives identified for this unit? How did I make sure students were invited to achieve at all levels of the criteria descriptors?

Are we prepared for the next stage?

Data collection

How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful?

Learning experiencesHow will students know what is expected of them? Will they see examples, rubrics, templates?

How will students acquire the knowledge and practise the skills required? How will they practise applying these?

Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How will we know?

Teaching strategiesHow will we use formative assessment to give students feedback during the unit?

What different teaching methodologies will we employ?

How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How have we made provision for those learning in a language other than their mother tongue? How have we considered those with special educational needs?

Students will have a model design folder to refer to to help them to go through the phases of the design cycle.

See the “skills” section of this unit planner for information regarding prior knowledge. The mini lessons that make up the skill building for this unit of work, are self assessed and are contextually clear so that the students understand the application of the techniques.

Formative assessment is fostered by enabling students to review and assess each other’s work, as well as student/teacher interaction throughout the design cycle process.

The open ended nature of the project fosters individualized levels of expertise in regards to both language and application software expertise levels.

ResourcesWhat resources are available to us?

How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students’ experiences during the unit?

Computer Software, CIS Library, All persons on campus that can be identified as representing a target group (to be used for testing purposes).